Destroyer - Optimum D.S.I (Reissue)

Sometimes it is just too short and sweet, but is it better off that way? I say no. There are occasions where not every disbanded 80s Heavy Metal band from the US is necessarily a sob story. The Pennsylvanian DESTROYER certainly didn’t finish last but knew how to revamp, even if under a different moniker a decade later. But why end this one so fast without heading back to the beginning? Alright, let’s do it. DESTROYER’s journey began in the mid 80s, as Metal flourished in the USA, rapidly breeding the heavier side of Hair Metal that slowly engulfed the American scene, sending it right into the eye of the storm. The debut effort out of this shebang came forth as “Optimum D.S.I”, originally released via the small time independent label Screaming Mimi. Heaven And Hell Records recaptured the late 80s grinding hairspray with a reissue of the debut, and it was worth it.

First off I like the approach on this EP, and too bad there wasn’t more it. There is that wayward sons of the street in these guys, a whole lot of leather and a handful of spunk attitude. Glam Metal bands of the age came to mind, yet this trio is more of the TIGERTAILZ than POISON, somewhat deadlier than BRITNEY FOX, maybe aside from the lead guitar deliveries, and on the same page as the bitter roughness of early MOTLEY CRUE and 80s era of W.A.S.P.. The recording itself sounds simply produced, yet the sound generated is rich and attractive to listen to. There might be an unevenness in the mixing and the mastering, yet it didn’t bother me and actually made the experience neatly diverse.

Striking with a mighty chunk of a main riff, I was burned by the love in flames that is “Love Burns”, a crooked Glam Metal wannabe that is much tougher. The CRUE driven “Can We Try” might be your average Hair Metal hooking melodic track, yet with its vocal performance and musicianship, it left others under the sand gasping for air. “Grindstone!”, the band’s heaviest riffer, scorching the ear lobes with a grinding groove that sounded ahead of its time.

After disbanding in the 90s, DESTROYER became SLIK HELVETIKA in the 00’s, with nearly the same lineup that fathered the early EPs. The old legacy of the 80s, judging by “Optimum D.S.I” is well reserved.